Unexpected
by Sandspecter
Summary: HitsuKarin. After the war, the Soul Reapers that had previously stayed in the living world are back for a visit. Karin and Toushiro never expected to see each other again. What will happen now that they will be staying in the same house?
1. Vacation Time!

Authors Comments: This is also posted on my DeviantART where I am Okami-Rain. Any "You Stole This" comments will be treated like rats carrying the plague. My first Fic on this site :3

"I have to say, I kinda missed this place!" said Renji as the five Soul Reapers skated over the rooftops of Karakura town. The War was finally over, and the Soul Reapers who had stayed in the living world prior to the battle were allowed a few weeks of rest to recuperate and visit the friends they had made. So Rangiku, Toushiro, Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Renji were all slipping through the night to their friend's houses to stay for a couple of weeks and reunite before returning to the Soul Society. Rangiku was as excited as ever, eager to see Orihime after the ordeal, as well as Rukia, who was staying with Ichigo at the time being. Ikkaku was a little disinterested but welcomed the break. Yumichika, aside from wanting to accompany his friend was determined to get some beauty rest. Renji wanted to see Ichigo and Rukia, and Captain Hitsugaya was forcibly dragged by Rangiku, or so it would seem. All of the fuss he put up would lead and normal person to believe that he was dreading the return like a trip to the dentist, but he felt a reason to go back. He didn't know why, and the small, nagging anxiousness at the return that was ever present in the back of his mind was leaving him confused.

He had little ties to this place. Sure, he counted Ichigo on a list of people with the questionable title of "friend" but not enough to leave his duties for a few weeks just to see him. So he decided that it must just be the prospect at a change in the schedule and maybe a chance to relax. Though Rangiku proclaimed him a fuddy-duddy he required at least a little "fun" to keep his head on his shoulders. Even if this "fun" meant him silently watching as the others joked and goofed off. He was perfectly content just watching, and raising his voice if someone became unbearably childish. Aside from that, "fun" to Toushiro was a spectator sport.

"Here's my stop, guys!" called Rangiku as she broke off to Orihime's house. Toushiro gave a quick "Goodbye, I'll see you in the morning," and continued on his way. Ikkaku and Yumichika broke off as well to ask Keigo for lodging. Not many people can say no to Ikkaku. They had grabbed their Gigai's on the way, thanks to Urahara. Now Renji and Toushiro made their way to Ichigo's house. Toushiro refused to stay with Rangiku and Orihime. In fact, that was one of the conditions of the trip.

As they stopped outside Ichigo's house and entered through the window of his room, Toushiro began to wonder if they should have said they were coming beforehand.

Yup.

"TOUSHIRO!?"

"That's Capt-"

"RENJI!?"

"Hey, Ichi-"

"ITS THREE IN THE MORNING ARE YOU BOTH COMPLETELY OUT OF YOUR MINDS!?"

Just then the door to Ichigo's room slammed open.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SCREAMING ABOUT IN HERE AT THREE O' CLOCK IN THE FREAKING MORNING!?"

Karin stood in the doorway. Her eyed traveled from Ichigo to Renji. If she hadn't looked down she would have missed little Toushiro standing between them. When she recognized the white haired Soul Reaper, he expression of rage faded and her eyes widened.

"Oh, you're here, visiting Ichigo I guess, there's room on the couch, good night." It all came out in one high pitched sentence before the door clicked shut behind her.

Slowly, Renji leaned foreword to Ichigo and mumbled out of the corner of his mouth, "Could she see us?"

**************************************

It took some convincing but it was arranged that Reji would sleep in Ichigo's room and Toushiro would take the couch in the living room. Rukia had been squeezing in with Karin and Yuzu. Everyone else, including Isshin had thankfully slept through the shouting match and the visitors took extra care at keeping quiet from then on.

The tiny, lumpy couch proved to be very uncomfortable and after many tosses and turns and even slipping off and crashing to the floor once, Toshiro decided to just lay his blankets out on the carpet and just sleep there. He had been given some of Ichigo's pajamas to wear, and they were way too large. The baggy blue flannel made him look even younger and more childish. This was not the rest he expected. He made a not to change into a more dignified outfit before Rangiku came over to visit.

He had just drifted into a light sleep when he felt a foot make contact with his chest and heard a loud thud followed by a sharply whispered "_What the hell_!?"

"Who's there?" he sat up, eyes searching through the darkness to see who had tripped over him. Karin's figure came into focus.

"What are you doing down here?" he asked.

"Just getting a glass of water," she whispered, "What are you doing on the floor?"

"Your couch is awful," he replied, rubbing the spot in his chest where she had practically kicked him.

"Tell me something I don't know," she said, standing up and brushing herself off. She walked to the kitchen as Toushiro rolled over and tried to fall back asleep. As she watched her glass fill, she thought of how glad she was that the darkness had concealed her blushing. She tiptoed back through the living room. She stopped to apologize when she realized that he was already asleep. She noticed he didn't look as serious or grouchy when he slept. She took a last look at him before slipping back up the stairs.


	2. Frosted Flakes are Grrrreat!

Author's notes: I read the English version. That's just the one I got to first. So yeah…my CURRENT manga and anime plotline knowledge is next to none. Ok? So I'll stay away from that. Also….I use the term Soul Reaper. I'm just used to it. AND ANOTHER NOTE. I will try to wiki any attacks before use, I am a Naruto fan and my ability to remember attacks and names has been utterly fried by that. If I make a terrible mistake…feel free to lob muffins at my head.

And sorry for the long wait.....site wouldn't let me upload this one for the longest time .

So enjoy while I torture Shiro-Chan!

***************************************

Hitsugaya Toushiro is a heavy sleeper.

Though they were betting their lives on that fact.

Only Renji was brave enough to do what he did, go as far as he went. When Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji discovered the Captain, sound asleep, Renji immediately snatched up Kon and placed him between Toushiro's arm and body. What nobody expected was that he grabbed it in his sleep and held it _tighter_. Kon, fearing his life might be in danger, had enough sense to stay quiet as Ichigo snapped several digital pictures.

Karin walked in as Renji, who was obviously attempting some strange, complicated version of suicide, was drawing a mustache on Toushiro's lip in pink magic marker.

"When he wakes up and rips out your hair by the roots then make's you eat it, I'm going to laugh," she said. She was followed by her sister, Yuzu, who had already been informed of the existence of Soul Reapers. Their father had also revealed his past as s Soul Reaper to them. Yuzu knew Toushiro's status well.

"Oh!" she said, "Won't you get in trouble?"

"Not if I blame Ichigo," said Renji with a shrug.

"HEY!" protested Ichigo.

Karin rolled her eyes and went into the kitchen to get some breakfast. She was halfway through pouring milk into a bowl of Frosted Flakes when a shout made her spill it all over the counter.

"KUROSAKI!"

She sighed, then poked her head into the living room, "Could you keep it down?"

Ichigo was backed against the wall and Toushiro was staring at him with murderous intent. Kon and Yuzu were huddled in the corner and Renji was nowhere to be found.

"KARIN!" pleaded Ichigo, "TELL HIM IT WASN'T ME!"

Karin just shrugged and ducked back into the kitchen. She was still mad at her brother for not telling her the truth about Soul Reapers. Toushiro had been honest with her, so she wasn't about to break up a fight between them. Secretly, she rooted for the Captain. She smirked as he gave her brother hell for the next few minutes.

"DO YOU NOT UNDERSSTAND THE CONCEPT OF RANK!? RESPECT!? ARE THESE NEW IDEAS TO YOU, KUROSAKI!? I SUPPOSE YOU THINK THIS HILARIOUS?"

At this point Renji walked in and observed the scene, "Nice mustache, Captain Hitsugaya, looks like you've finally hit puberty."

"What – mustache?" growled Toishiro.

Reji came prepared. He handed the Captain a mirror borrowed from Rukia.

That got Toushiro across the room and within a split second he had Ichigo pinned to the wall by the scruff of his shirt.

"EASE UP! IT WASN'T ME! IT WAS RENJI!" Ichigo cried desperately.

"Don't look at me," said Renji, "I'm not THAT stupid."

"YOU BASTARD!" cried Ichigo, "ILL GET YOU FOR THIS!"

"SHUT UP!" yelled Toushiro, "YOU SEEM TO HAVE FORGOTTEN WHO THE AUTHORITY OVER YOU!"

"I TOLD YOU!" Ichigo was begging at this point, "IT WASN'T ME!"

"Geez, would you all just shut up?" said Karin who came in with two bowls of cereal and a wet rag. She set one bowl down on the computer desk and used the rag to wipe the marker off of Toushiro's face. She did it with that same bored expression as always. He stared at her wide eyed, completely taken by surprise.

"It's just magic marker. All better. See?" she said, holding the rag up to show pink smears on it. She discarded the rag and picked up the second bowl. She pushed it into his hands as he dropped Ichigo, who hit the floor with a yelp.

"Here," she said, "You look hungry. Have some Frosted Flakes. They'rrrrrre grrrrreat."

He wondered if this was some sort of speech impediment he didn't know about as she sauntered over to the couch and sat down, digging into the bowl. He looked around but couldn't find another empty seat, so he quietly sat down on the other end of the couch, still wide eyed. He took a bite of the cereal. It was sweet, so he ate some more. When he finished, the bowl was taken out of his hand by a bored looking Karin, who carried them to the kitchen. There were the sounds of water running and dishes clanking before she returned, sat down on the couch, clicked on the TV and began watching a soccer game.

Toushiro just sat there in awe of this girl who stood before him, completely undaunted, treated him like a child, and then went along on her business as usual. Even more astonishing to him was that he found an inability to react with hostility. She had done it all with such a mundane expression, like she had done it a thousand times before. So he continued to sit there, staring blankly at the television.

The door burst open.

"Hey, Captain! I bought you some clothes!"

Rangiku stood in the doorway, observing the scene. Her captain, in baggy blue pajamas, was seated on the couch in what looked like a trance. Next to him was Ichigo's sister, who she had met once before. Sitting on opposite sides of a computer desk at the other end of the room were Renji and Ichigo. They were looking back and forth from Toushiro to Karin as if they both had turned purple with orange polka dots.

"Did I miss something?" she asked, confused.

Toushiro seemed to snap out of his trance.

"Oh," he said calmly, "Hello Matsumoto. Are those my clothes?"

"Yes sir," she said, holding a shopping bag out to him. With that, he got to his feet, took the bag, and went upstairs to change. Karin flicked off the television, stood up and went up to her room in silence.

"What just happened?" asked Ichigo.

"I think your sister just mothered Rangiku's boss!" said Renji, mouth hanging open.

Rangiku smirked. "Glad to see he's making friends!"


	3. First Touch

**RAWR IMMA WRITIN MAH CHAPTOR! I got the second Bleach movie yesterday. It was pretty good. And yeah, I am a psycho Shiro-Fan. The move only strengthened my hatred for Yamamoto, who seems to want to kill a completely innocent person every time they let him speak. BLARG so while I'm in a "ZOMG TOUSHIRO!!!!" mood I guess I should write the new chapter :3 And Yusssss, I am IchiRuki!!!!!!!!!!**

*****

"We're gonna have so much fun! I've never been to a amusement park before!"

Rangiku was ecstatic.

"I don't see why I have to come."

Toushiro was not.

"Oh! Loosen up Captain!" said Rangiku, smiling widely. Ichigo, Rukia, Karin, Yuzu and Renji decided to go to the carnival. Rangiku wanted to come along as well, and she dragged Toushiro along. He had no idea what an "amusement park" was and he had absolutely no desire to find out just what was so "amusing" about them. If he was going to be on vacation he would rather have just stayed home to relax, but Rangiku would have none of it.

They paid for their tickets, or rather, Ichigo paid for them. He was the only one with any cash. As he doled out the money with a scowl, he mumbled about Rukia needing to get a job. It was a cool fall night and they all wore jackets to keep warm in the slight wind. The sun was just beginning to set on the horizon and the lights were lighting all around them.

"What should we do first?" asked Ichigo.

"The coaters here are great!" said Karin.

"Then let's do that!" piped Yuzu.

They made their way over to a particularly fast looking coaster and got in line. Renji looked up at it.

"What does this thing do anyway?"

"You'll find out!" giggled Rukia.

"Ride with me, Ichi-nii!" said Yuzu, hugging Ichigo's arm.

"I was going to ride with Rukia, though," said Ichigo, slightly dissapointed.

"It's fine," said Rukia sweetly, "I'll ride with Renji."

"Cool!" said Renji.

"Then that's Matsumoto and Toushiro, and Karin will be alone," said Ichigo, "But I think she's OK with that."

"Sure thing!" said Karin with a smile, "Of course I can ride a stupid coaster by myself!"

Rangiku saw a chance.

"Um, I'm a little scared to get on this one!" she said, pointing up at the ride, "You guys go on without me!"

"You're kidding!" said Ichigo, "You're a Soul Reaper and you're scared of a lousy coaster!?"

Rangiku winked at Rukia.

"Hey, Ichigo," said Rukia, putting her hand on his shoulder, "If she doesn't want to ride then she doesn't want to ride! And this way Karin can ride with someone!"

"Who said I was even riding?" asked Toushiro.

"What's the matter, Captain? Scared?" asked Rukia with a sly grin.

"N-no!" replied Toushiro.

"Then you'll have no problem!" said Rukia with a bubbly smile.

They filed on to the coaster pair by pair. Karin didn't look at Toushiro at all until he was stopped by the ride attendant to check his height.

"You just make it, kid!" said the attendant like he was giving out an award, "Have fun on the ride!"

Toushiro gave him dagger eyes as he and Karin seated themselves on the coaster. Karin pulled the lap bar down and leaned on it, looking excited.

"Why didn't he stop you?" growled Toushiro.

"I've been here before," she said with a hint of a laugh in her voice.

"Hmph," was all he said and then the ride began to move foreword. The coaster car slowly moved along the track and began climbing the slope.

_This is boring, _he thought, _What's the point of this?_

The car slowly crept upward and he looked down at the crowd.

"HEY CAPTAIN!!!" called Rangiku, who was jumping up and down, waving. Several people were staring at her. He wanted to scold her for calling him "Captain" in front of all of several hundred people, but he just decided to act like he didn't know her. He began to wonder when the ride would get interesting when the car suddenly plummeted downward and all he could hear was Renji laughing psychotically.

The movement was a bit of a shock, and he braced himself by placing a hand on Karin's forearm. She didn't seem to notice as she screamed. He looked over at her but she was smiling so he assumed it was normal to scream on a roller coaster. He had to admit it was unsettling to be carried around in every direction by a speeding car. He let go of her arm and placed his hands on the lap bar and waited for the ride to end.

When the car finally rolled to a stop and they dismounted, Renji had a slight wobble in his step.

"That…was…AWESOME!!" he shouted, stumbling into hot dog cart.

"That was so much fun!" giggled Yuzu.

"It was just a little coaster," said Ichigo, "Don't get so worked up."

"Don't be a party pooper, Ichigo!" said Rukia, putting her arms around his neck.

Toushiro was about to agree with Ichigo when he was swallowed up by a valley in the form of Rangiku's chest.

"Did you have fun Captain!? You didn't look too happy from where I was standing!" she joked as she hugged him.

"I can't breathe," he said as he pushed her off, "It was alright."

"Nah!" said Renji, "You were scared!"

"I think not," said Toushiro.

"Yeah, whatever," said a smirking Karin as her fingers brushed over the area on her arm he had held.

He said nothing.

The rest of the evening was hours of enjoyment for everyone except Toushiro, who preferred to hang in the back and watch the others. Renji was on a quest to ride every ride he could find, and by the end of the night he was puking in a trash can as Ichigo bought hot dogs for everyone.

"You know, one of you needs to find a job," said a grumpy Ichigo as they sat down at a picnic table.

"We're here temporarily," said Renji.

"We're too young," said Karin and Yuzu.

"And I'm not good at anything like that!" said Rukia with big kitten eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," said Ichigo as he bit into his hot dog.

It wasn't as good as the Frosted Flakes, but it was tolerable enough for Toushiro to finish it. He sat quietly as Renji went on and on about how many more rides he went on than anyone else.

Around ten o'clock, the group trudged home, tired and ready to crash. Rangiku went back to Orihime's house for the night and the others got ready for bed. Toushiro laid out his blankets on the floor, deciding not to even attempt sleeping on the couch again. As the others went upstairs he and he began to clear his head, one thought kept coming out of the darkness, keeping him from sleep.

The image of Karin's fingers over the spot where he touched her.

So she had noticed after all. He thought he even recalled a faraway look in her eye as she did it, and maybe even a faint blush. He thought of the moment when he held her arm and how warm she felt. He thought of how she was able to leave him at a loss for words that morning without blinking an eye.

_Why am I thinking about this so much? This is stupid, _He thought before he rolled over and drifted off into sleep.


	4. Big Sisters Know Best

**UBER SHORT CHAPTER!!**

**Sorry my chapters are so short. I like to keep it a little more broken up.**

**Ok…. Sorry for making you wait XD And I was asked if this is a running story or a collection of one shots. It IS a running story. I'm just a happy fun time beginning type of writer. Plus….I'm still brainstorming on the plot though I have a central idea. Just the blank spaces in between are the issue XD ANYWAY…. Here is the new chapter :3**

**Also! I want to thank you guys for all the great reviews! It is really encouraging! Especially since this is my first fic on this site! Thank you guys! You all ROCK! **

**Oh, and the reference to the Naruto game on the PS2 was something I've wanted to do for a while. Threw in a snippet of Ikkaku and Yumichika as well, and their whirlwind adventured XD  
**

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Karin flopped down onto her bed with a sigh. It had been a wonderful evening for her. Three whole hours at the amusement park with _him. _Of course, she had fun with the others, but the whole time she was there fifty percent of her thoughts were Toushiro, Toushiro, Toushiro. She had planned on not even thinking about him, forcing herself not to want him. She had no reason to want him. He was a Soul Reaper after all, and a Captain to boot. She knew letting herself fall in love with him would only bring her pain. But that all went out the window the night before when they were alone together in the living room.

Karin rolled over on her face, trying to shake herself from his spell.

_No, no, NO! _she told herself, _Don't do this to yourself Karin! He's just going to have to leave again and what will you do then? Your heart will never heal!_

She rolled over and looked out the window at the stars.

_You can't have him, _she scolded herself, _because you're just a human._

"Because I'm just a human…" she whispered out loud.

"So when did you fall in love with the Captain?"

Karin nearly fell of the bed as she whipped around. Rukia was standing there, smirking, her knowing eyes fixed on Karin's.

"What?" asked Karin, trying to appear flabbergasted, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Is that so?" said Rukia, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

Karin got up and looked out the window.

"I don't know," she said, "Maybe it was when he helped me win that soccer game. Maybe it was when he saved my life. Maybe it was all little moments when the memory of him came back to my mind. Or maybe it was when I saw him standing there in Ichigo's room…"

She turned around and looked at Rukia.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked, "Why am I falling apart like this."

Rukia shook her head and sighed.

"You're so young Karin, so naive. You don't even realize how deeply in love with him you are. I can tell you are fighting it. Why?"

"Because!" said Karin, her voice rising, "I'm a human! He's not! He'll leave again and I'll be all alone! I'll still be in love with him and I might never see him after that so I should just save myself the pain and cut myself away from him now! But…"

"But you're already too in love with him to do that," finished Rukia.

Karin couldn't help it. She threw herself into Rukia's arms and hugged the girl that had been like a sister to her.

"What do I do," she whispered.

"Just go with it. Follow your heart. Thing's will work out in the end, you'll see," said Rukia, comforting her.

"Ok," said Karin.

Yuzu walked in.

"What's wrong, Karin?" she asked.

"Nothing," said Karin, gathering herself, "I'm fine."

Nothing more was said about if for the rest of the night.

****************

"I wonder where Ikkaku and Yumichika are," said Ichigo as he poured a bowl of cereal.

"I thought they were staying with Keigo," said Rukia.

"I haven't seen them," said Rangiku, who had been visiting frequently. Orihime had accompanied her as well.

"Do you think they're all right?" asked Orihime.

"They're fine," said Renji, "They're probably spending all their time at some bar."

****************

"That chick is NUTS!" shouted Ikkaku as he stormed down the sidewalk away from Keigo's house.

"But why do we have to leave?" asked Yumichika, who was reluctantly following, "At least we had a place to stay!"

"I can't spend another moment with that psychotic sister of his!" raged Ikkaku.

"But-"

"Come on!" continued Ikkaku, "We'll find a hotel!"

"Awwww!"

***************

Toushiro was halfway through a bowl of Frosted Flakes when Karin came in and sat down across from him. She rested her head on the table.

"Someone is tired," said Isshin, who was sitting next to her.

"Ugh," said Karin.

"A little worn out from last night I see," giggled Rukia.

"Man," said Karin as Yuzu slid a plate of eggs in front of her and Isshin, "Walking around like that took a lot out of me."

"Suck it up," said Rukia, sitting down on her other side.

"Yeah," said Karin, stretching.

"So what are we doing today?" asked Renji.

"Nothing, unless you're paying for it," said Ichigo with a scowl.

"Aw!" said Renji.

The group decided to stay home that day, all except for Karin, who had gone to play soccer with her friends. She was returning to the house, kicking the soccer ball around when she felt a strange pressure. She soccer ball rolled away from her as she turned around and looked back and forth.

"Who's there?" she said.

Nothing but silence.

She shrugged and returned to her house, forgetting the presence. As she walked in the door she saw quite a scene. Everyone was gathered around the TV as Toushiro and Renji sat on the couch, playing Naruto Ultimate Ninja Three. Toushiro looked irritated and his life was almost at zero as his chosen character, Neji, was being kicked in the air by Renji, who was using Kiba.

Karin stood behind Toushiro and watched the massacre.

"This is ridiculous!" shouted Toushiro, "Did that dog just pee on me!?"

Renji was laughing hysterically as Toushiro mashed buttons for all he was worth. Karin smirked and reached her arms around Toushrio's neck and grabbed the controller.

"You're loosing," she said, pressing triangle three times, entering Ultimate Jutsu mode, and taking Kiba out with Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms. She dropped the controller back into Toushiro's hands and stood up. He looked back at her, shocked.

"No fair!" said Renji, "I had him!"

Karin smirked at Renji and then walked up stairs.

Toushiro was a mixture of shock and disbelief. He had never been that close to a girl before, let alone this one who had constantly left him speechless. He felt a growing interest in this Karin Kurosaki, though he couldn't think of why.

"I want a rematch!" said Renji.

"No thanks," said Toushro as he stood up and walked out the front door.

_I need time to think,_ he thought to himself.

He walked around until he found a small park. He breathed deeply as the chilled air filled his lungs. He had to admit he was quite enjoying the chance to relax. Maybe this trip would be good for him after all.

Just then he jumped up in the air, spun around and kicked the soccer ball that had been flying towards his head. He landed with grace and looked up at Karin.

"Hey," she said, smiling, her arms folded.

"Hey," he said standing up, "Any reason for the assault?"

"Just wondering why you came out here all by yourself," she said shrugging.

"I like my privacy" he said, "And I need some time to think."

"About what?" she asked as they say down on a bench.

"Nothing that concerns you," he said.

_You liar, _he tought to himself.

"Fine," she said, "It's none of my business."

She stood up and started to walk away when she heard his voice.

"Hey," he called.

She turned around to see him holding the soccer ball with one hand.

"You want to play a game?"

She smiled, "Sure."

In her mind, Karin thanked Rukia for the advice.


	5. Deja Vu

**Woo for a chapter with some action BESIDES Ichigo holding Renji's hair back so he can puke in a trashcan! Finally! Sorry for making you guys wait, but I've been trying to figure out just HOW to get to this particular point for a while now and I finally did so yay! I shaddap now, k?  
**

Toushiro sighed and picked himself up off the ground. He had missed the soccer ball by an inch when Karin sent it whizzing by his head into the goal.

_She's getting better,_ he thought as he dusted himself off. He looked over to see her standing there with a smirk. He gave a light smile and tossed the ball back to her. She tucked it under her arm and laughed.

"I used to go after Hollows with this ball," she said, looking at the dirty old thing, her name scribbled in one of the hexagons.

"Hollows?" he asked, bewildered that she was still alive and speaking after going after a Hollow with _that _thing.

"Yeah," she sighed, "But now Ichi-nii is back so I don't have to worry about it anymore."

Toushiro chuckled under his breath.

"You are not like other girls, Karin," he said.

"You're not like other guys," she retorted.

"It wasn't an insult," he laughed.

He noticed her cheeks turn a shade of pink before she laughed and threw the soccer ball up into the air and kicked it hard in his direction. This time he was ready. He caught the ball with one hand and brought it to his side. He looked up at the quickly darkening sky.

"It's getting late," he remarked, "We should be getting back home."

Karin nodded and thought to her self, _He called it "home"._

They began walking towards the entrance of the park when Karin yawned.

"Tired?" asked Toushiro.

"N.........o," she said through a gaping yawn as she stretched.

He chuckled again and she shot him a glare. That laugh of his was both getting on her nerves and drawing her in all at the same time.

Just then Karin felt dizzy and she lost her balance. Toushiro caught her in his arms before she hit the ground.

"Karin!" he said, setting her on a park bench, "What's wrong?"

"Toushiro…" she whispered.

Then he felt it as well, a rush of spirit energy and a feeling of doom in the pit of his stomach. Without warning, Karin leaped to her feet and stared over his shoulder up at the sky. Slowly, he turned to look at the newcomer.

It was a Hollow, the size of a skyscraper, standing in the middle of the park and looking down at the captain.

Karin felt the blood drain from her face as she looked up at the beast. It was huge and apelike, with giant arms and looming red eyes. It stared down at Toushiro with murderous intent. She was felt an overpowering sense of déjà vu as she saw him shed his gigai and face the hollow, sword drawn. She recalled that sense of worry she had felt for him as well, only this time it was worse, bordering on anguish.

She reached forward and grabbed his fingers.

"Don't leave me…" she whispered, pleading.

"Don't worry," he said, "I wont."

Her hand was empty and he was gone.

Her heart pounded in her head as she watched him lunge at the behemoth. The great beast swatted him down as if he were a fly. Her hand flew to her heart, clutching her chest as he hit the ground and a plume of dust and rubble rose up all around him.

"No! Toushiro!" she gasped.

"It's OK," came his cool, calm voice as the dust began to clear. Her eyes strained to see through the cloud and his figure slowly came into focus. He stood there, Hyourinmaru at his side, and large wings of ice on his back. He looked into her eyes as if it might be his last chance to do so, and was off again, slicing against the new and very powerful hollow. He managed to freeze and remove one of its legs before he was pushed into the ground with incredible force, wings shattering under him and blood flying up from where the shards cut into his body.

"NO!"

"You'll die here, Soul Reaper!" boomed the hollow and it pushed down on the Captain. Toushiro looked up into its red eyes and saw his vision go blurry before passing out.

"TOUSHIRO!" cried Karin.

"GETSUGATENSHO!"

A wave of powerful spiritual energy blasted into the hollow's head, sending it toppling over. The last thing the hollow saw was a figure in a black cloak before an ebony sword was plunged into its forehead, killing it.

"Ichi-nii!" cried Karin.

"Karin?" said Ichigo as he looked up, a Hollow Mask distorting his voice. He removed his mask and jumped off of the beast as it dissipated with a shriek.

"What are you doing here!?" he asked, "It's not safe! This is the second one of these monsters I've dealt with so far!"

"S-second?" asked Karin, bewildered. Then her thoughts gathered.

"TOUSHIRO!" she gasped, running to his limp body which was lying in a puddle of half melted ice and blood. She took him into her arms and looked down at his pained face.

"Touhsiro…" she whispered, tears falling onto him. Suddenly, he drew in a shuddered gasp and his eyes opened, looking up at her.

"Karin?" he asked, "What happened."

"You lost," said Ichigo, standing over them.

"Damn," said the defeated Captain as he laid his head back onto Karin's arm, unable to hold it up any longer.

"Teach me…" said Karin.

"What?" asked Ichigo.

"If you can to it, then so can I," declared Karin, looking up into Ichigo's eyes with tears running down her face, "Teach me to fight so that I never have to stand by and watch the people I love get hurt again!"

She held Toushiro close, as if he would vaporize if they broke contact.

"Karin…" whispered a stunned Toushiro as the she broke down into tears.

"Alright…" said Toushiro, "But not me. There's someone else who will teach you."


End file.
